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Comfy, cozy, and casual enough to take the kids, this tidy taqueria offers a large menu of freshly prepped Mexican and Tex-Mex standards, ranging from flautas, burritos, and homemade tamales to cheesecake and fried ice cream. Special menus for kids and non-carnivores make it a particularly appealing family destination.

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This pretty hacienda would look more at home on a Mexican hillside than on busy Lorain Road, but the big menu of housemade south-of-the-border fare will be familiar to most Northeast Ohioans. Among the notables, spicy serrano-spiked salsa is a standout, and quivering homemade flan, with a dulce de leche caress, is a delight.

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Eric Williams' new Lakewood cantina is not Momocho West, but it does share some DNA with that insanely popular Ohio City restaurant. Carnicero translates to "butcher," and the name is a pretty good indicator of what's to come. Slow-cooked meats like beef brisket, lamb, wild boar, duck and pork belly are transformed into savory toppings for tamales or fillings for roll-your-own tacos. The chips, salsa and guac here are just as good as that other spot, and so are the margaritas.

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El Castillo Grande is the latest in a long list of restaurants to make a go of this quirky castle on the banks of Lake Erie. Order from the a la carte menu of tacos, burritos, enchiladas and taquitos, or from the more ambitious collection of house specialties. Items can be hit-or-miss at times, but for sheer value, this castle is king. Margaritas sold by the glass, jumbo, monster and pitcher.